Early Exit for Sampras at Monte Carlo

The Monte Carlo Open lost a lot of star power on Tuesday when Pete Sampras, Thomas Muster and Boris Becker, with 15 Grand Slam titles among them, all lost their first matches at Monaco.

Magnus Larsson of Sweden, a former top-10 player, beat Sampras, the world’s top-ranked player; Renzo Furlan of Italy beat Becker, and Fabrice Santoro of France ousted Muster.

“It’s the same story with me on clay,” said Sampras, who lost, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3. “I just start pressing a little bit and start going for a little too much. On hard court it just comes naturally.”

Muster, once nearly unbeatable on clay, has lost twice within a week on the surface. Santoro beat him, 6-2, 7-6 (7-3).

Becker lost to Furlan, 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4).

Earlier this week Sampras tied John McEnroe for third in total weeks at the No. 1 spot in the tennis rankings at 170.

He was returning to tournament tennis after withdrawing from two Asian tournament with an injured wrist. Earlier in the year he won three tournaments and had a 20-match winning streak.

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Fourth-seeded Alex O’Brien cruised past Austria’s Gilbert Schaller, 6-4, 6-2, and advanced to the second round of the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships at Lake Buena Vista, Fla. . . . South African Amanda Coetzer, seeded No. 2, struggled briefly against wild-card entrant Andrea Temesvari before beating her, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2, in the first round of the Budapest Ladies’ Open at Hungary.

Golf

With winds gusting off Lake Oconee from an approaching storm, Davis Love III put his tee shot within two feet of the hole on the second playoff hole and knocked in the birdie putt to beat Phil Mickelson for the U.S. title in the Andersen Consulting World Championship of Golf at Eatonton, Ga.

Love’s match-play victory on the Great Waters course in east Georgia sends him to play the European, Japanese and International champions in the world finals in January at Scottsdale, Ariz. He also assures himself of at least $500,000 in the $3.65-million event.

Mickelson needed 18 holes to beat Fred Couples in the semifinal earlier in the day, and Love used 16 holes to defeat Tom Lehman, 3 and 2.

Pro Football

Starting defensive tackle Jimmie Jones and two others were released as the St. Louis Rams moved to remain under the NFL’s salary cap.

The release of Jones, linebacker Rico Mack and free-agent running back Travis Cozart came two days after the draft. The Rams also have signed college punters Will Brice of Virginia and Nate Cochran of Pittsburgh, who went undrafted last weekend. They will join Greg Ivy in competition to replace released veteran Sean Landeta.

Donnell Bennett, the Kansas City Chiefs’ starting fullback, signed a four-year contract. Terms were not disclosed. . . . Cornerback Mickey Washington, the only player to start every game in the two-year history of the Jacksonville Jaguars, was released. Jacksonville also waived quarterback Steve Taneyhill.

No UCLA players from the 1996 team were drafted but five have signed free-agent contracts. Tight end Jamal Clark has signed with Seattle, safety Anthony Cobbs with Arizona, cornerback Paul Guidry with Baltimore, defensive lineman Travis Kirschke with Detroit and linebacker Phillip Ward with Indianapolis.

College Basketball

Hoping to jazz up offensive play, the NCAA decided to reinstate college basketball’s five-second rule, which was dropped four seasons ago.

Under the rule, an offensive player may not dribble the ball more than five seconds if a defender is within six feet of him. The offensive player must shoot or pass or be called for a turnover.

The NCAA, during a meeting at Kansas City, also voted to require most preseason tournaments next year to use a 40-second shot clock, instead of a 35-second shot clock.

Jeff Johannsen, a 6-foot-11 basketball center from Temple City High who signed with UC Irvine last fall, has been released from his letter of intent, Irvine Coach Pat Douglass said.

Olympics

Visa USA donated $20,000 to help pay for a $100,000 application deposit in the San Francisco Bay area’s bid to host the Summer Olympics in 2008.

Archer Janet Dykman of El Monte won the gold medal in the women’s Olympic Division at the Canada Cup in Victoria, Canada. Dykman defeated Courtney Kane of Phoenix in the final, 95-92.

Names in the News

Lars Tate, a former running back with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was shot and critically wounded in Indianapolis. Police said Tate, 32, was shot in the throat as he tried to help a woman who was arguing with another man over custody of a child. The woman, Doris Smith, 45, also was shot and was listed in serious condition. Haywood Rice, 31, of Indianapolis was arrested and will probably face two charges of attempted murder, police said.

Former USC and Raider quarterback Todd Marinovich, 27, pleaded innocent in a Laguna Niguel courtroom to a felony charge of cultivating marijuana and two drug-related misdemeanor charges. Marinovich was ordered to return to South Municipal Court on May 15 for a pretrial hearing and on June 3 for a preliminary hearing. Marinovich was arrested March 24 after he placed a 911 call from his Dana Point home to report a friend was unconscious, apparently from an overdose of an opiate, authorities said. The friend recovered.

Diego Maradona, 36, signed with Boca Juniors for what he promised would be his last and best comeback to Argentine soccer. “I hope this is the definitive, best and last time,” Maradona said.